Sonic Forces: Those Six Months
by DC111
Summary: A tempered exploration of the part Forces didn't show: Sonic's captivity. In the rush of freeing the world, there's little time for Sonic's friends to address his ordeal. Little do they know, Sonic had taken it upon himself to address it - right as it happened. This is Sonic in his most vulnerable moments.
1. Day 1

Hello, all. It's Rouge here.

What I'm about to show you shouldn't be taken lightly. See... I went to spy aboard the Death Egg. I am the one who first discovered that Sonic was alive. And that he was being tortured. It's all over now, thankfully. Here we are, a couple months later, and Sonic has permitted me to share a very personal collection of journal entries that he wrote while imprisoned on the Death Egg.

The hope is to redouble efforts against Eggman in the future, because we know he'll return; he always does. Sonic wasn't fond of this idea originally, but he has told me that if he thinks it will encourage people to keep fighting Eggman, if it will nurture that spark, then it's okay to go ahead and do it. Even then, I could sense Sonic's reluctance to share what are probably some very personal moments.

So I waited.

And then, a week ago, Sonic approached me, having thought about it and come to his own conclusion. He told me to have it published. Right then, he and I started working together to fill in the blanks between his entries. So whatever details might be missing from Sonic's writing, we recreated together as closely as he could remember.

This is the result. I share it with you now with Sonic's full consent. Please, if you read this and you've been complacent in the ongoing fight against Eggman, consider fighting back. The chaos has been quelled for now, but he'll be back. He always comes back. And when he does, we will need you.

-Rouge

 **SONIC FORCES: THOSE SIX MONTHS**

Day 1, 6:43 AM

Ah man, am I _tired_ for someone who can't sleep! If my eyes are so heavy, then why'd I wake up?

I need a rooftop. A rooftop and a warm breeze. Or a cold breeze. Or… _any_ breeze…

Sheesh, I don't even know what day it is. It's been at least a few since that run-in with Infinite. Maybe even a couple weeks. What a mess that was. I'm still sore, and I can't tell if it's from that, or…

Anyway, this isn't really Day 1, but it's the first day I figured on doing this, so that's what we're gonna go with. Day 1 of Sonic keeping a journal. Apparently.

Chaos, what's gotten into me?

I don't know if anyone'll ever read this, but right now I'm just telling myself they will. Because if they do, that means I wasn't alone here. I wasn't all cut off from everything like I thought I was. Does that make sense? I mean, I'm trapped! Not like I haven't been trapped before, but something about this is different. The air is cold, and there's a different quality about it. I'm up high somewhere. Space, even? Nah, that wouldn't make any sense. Either way... I'm alone.

Yeah. I'm being held here, out of the way of anything that matters. It's been made real clear to me that this sense of oppression isn't attached to anything worthwhile.

Listen, I'm not trying to be cynical. That just ain't me. But sometimes it's not cynicism. Sometimes it actually _is_ because there's nothing to be optimistic about!

Okay, can't think that way.

…Like, I spend time on my own all the time, when I'm exploring and such. But I still pass people on my runs and stuff. I see new people and new places, and I experience stuff. And I know I always have the option to swing by and visit Tails or bug Knuckles or whatever. But here, I'm completely alone.

I can't take it anymore, seriously! I'm going stir-crazy in here. I need to run, I need to fight, I need to talk to someone, I need to do _something_ to not feel the way I feel right now. Chaos, I am so completely screwed. Hope this don't look too pathetic coming from Sonic the Hedgehog, but I need a little help, here!

Huh. You know, I really _do_ need a little help here.

Last time I tried to do everything my way, Eggman took advantage of us and it almost got Tails turned into a robot, all because I didn't trust the kid. I still feel lousy about that. I won't make that kind of mistake again. I have to trust my friends. Not like I can get outta here anyway, and if I could, where would I go? There's nowhere to go. We're in the sky and unlike _some_ lucky people, I can't fly. This is beyond my control right now, and I guess I gotta figure out how to be okay with that.

My only choices are to sit here and wallow, or to have faith that someone will do what I can't right now. So, I'm gonna have faith.

And in the meantime, maybe there's a thing or two I can learn, being on this side of things. This is obviously something of Eggman's, after all. And my enemies are here… If I keep my ears open, maybe, by the time I get out of here, I'll have learned something that can help. Eggman, Zavok, Shadow… there's something weird about any actual living beings I've encountered here, except for maybe Eggman, but that's just because he's always weird, maybe?

Either way, there _is_ something weird going on, for sure. I don't know what to make of it. It's like they're not all there, or something.

But honestly, _I'm_ in a weird state of mind right now too, being trapped like this. Maybe it's just me.

Right now, I hurt. My hands are bound in this weird blue glowy thing, like handcuffs. It's hard to write, but not impossible. Not like I can't use my hands, it's just that they're pulled all close together. What _is_ that, anyway? It's real light blue, like I said, and it glows and it's warm.

Sometimes, when I try to see if I can wriggle out of it, they go from warm to hot, like a warning. Like it's sentient!

Chaos energy? Could it be?

But I haven't seen the Chaos Emeralds in ages. Eggman seemed to figure out they've never helped him in the end and has resorted to other measures. So I don't know _what_ this stuff is.

Speaking of 'other measures,' honestly, I'm a little spooked here. He and the others have been giving me hell the last few days. I mean it's one thing when I can fight back, but my hands are bound, and being stuck in this cell, I can't really take advantage of my usual speed, either.

…Or you know, what I just realized is, maybe it's not that I can't. Part of it is that I'm afraid to, aren't I? Because if they know how fast I can accelerate even in here, they'd make sure my feet are bound too. And I don't like the sound of that. Nope, not at all.

So I'm keeping that card face-down for now. Hah.

No matter what, I'm gonna get through this. I got folks waiting for me and probably trying to help me as I write this. I won't let 'em down. I won't let the world we're fighting for down either.

And, you know what? All that aside? I won't let _myself_ down. You think you finally defeated me, Eggman? Take another look, because this ain't over until I say it is.

…Yeah. That feels like the right note to end this on.

If someone out there is reading this, it's probably long after all this has happened. But even so, the idea of someone reading this, believing in me, being with me in spirit, here… it helps. So if you're out there, have faith, yeah?

Thanks, guys. Cross your fingers for me.

It's gonna be okay.

Sonic out.

1-1-1

A/N (it's long so feel free to skip this nonsense)

Hey, DC here!

 **To preserve the authenticity of Sonic's first-person in this story, I'm gonna try to minimize author's notes – and if I DO need to have them, they will always be at the bottom of the chapter, never at the top, so as to avoid pulling you out of the story. This is Sonic's story, not mine.**

 **This is a fast-paced project with a lot of emphasis on presence, and paralleled by real-time (it will be approximately 6 months in the making, the same amount of time as Sonic's captivity). Don't miss out. ;)**

As far as Forces, I have mixed feelings about the game's story – and about that one line in general, I mean who'd have thought 'Sonic got tortured' would ever be something canon, right? – but despite the lack of expansion, it was alluded to more than once. Look, it's not like I think it should have been shown or anything. I just think we should've heard a word or two about it from Sonic, or hey, even just a quick cutscene with Tails asking him, "Are you okay?" and Sonic going, "Eh, it's been tough, but I'll pull through." It wouldn't have had to be anything warranting a rating higher than the E10+ that Forces was given.

THAT SAID – there's still a LOT worth saying about Forces. As I said, mixed feelings, but overall, I think it was a big step in the right direction. Look at all the characters! Can't tell you how much that contributed to the game's atmosphere. Knuckles, Amy, Espio, Vector, Charmy, Silver and co. on the resistance side.

As someone who has always written all of them into my stories (with the exception of Silver), it felt like… home. And the serious undertones hiding beneath the lighthearted, don't-give-up, power-of-friendship overtones just made it feel like a damn Sonic game!

Sonic's characterization wasn't anything mind-blowing, but compared to a few games in recent-ish memory (as some of you know, I started to fall off the wagon around Sonic Colors), it didn't do anything wrong, either. He seemed like himself! My only complaint is the lack of depth. It's not like he needs to be super 'deep,' it's just that, well, the way he is portrayed came off as just a TEENSY bit shallow. That said, I felt like that was more a presentation issue, and not actually Sonic himself. But – if there was one tiny way that Sonic's six-month stay on the Death Egg was addressed, it was his aggression. Look at his animations in the fight with Zavok! And more than once he spoke of 'payback.' Revenge isn't usually what you hear from Sonic, even in the games written by these writers, so I'm inclined to think it meant something.

I still feel like the plot was a little too avoidant of its more serious elements, and wonder if those lines about torture in particular should have even been there if they weren't gonna lead to much of anything. But if nothing else: high octane fanfiction fuel!

So: expect me to be around again. :) :) :)

Can't tell you how short or long this story will be. It's an exercise in curiosity, a gentle probing into the facets of Sonic Forces that the game itself was too shy to explore. I'm gonna write something that, believe it or not, could _mostly_ fit into the appropriate expectations for a Sonic game.

So… if a few of you are still around from the earlier days (hi there!) this is different from what you usually read from me. And, if you want more of the 'expected,' while I'm here, I am going to finish Red Mirror, the sequel to Survivor's Resolve, so if any of you folks remember that, head on over and take a look at the newest update. ;)

Okay… like I said, there will NOT be many author's notes, which is probably why this one ended up long as heck. Sorry. See ya next time!


	2. Day 3

Day 3, 1:11 PM

Seriously, what does he think he's accomplishing? I can understand keeping me locked up here if he thinks I could be useful to him, or if he needs something from me, or he sees me as a threat. Okay, that last one _might_ be justified. Hah.

Here he's toying with me, but if I were free, I'd destroy all _his_ toys here, and he knows it.

What's it to him, though, with how many fortresses and bases this guy apparently has? Starting to wonder if he keeps these things in his back pocket. I mean that's where Amy keeps all her hammers, right?

I'm just rambling at this point. I can't do anything that's _actually relevant_ while the planet is getting taken over. So again: what exactly am I threatening, here? Even if I weren't in this cage, this section seems to be a de facto prison. It doesn't look like I'd be able to get far, at least not without some help.

Here I am trying to tell myself why I'm not enough of a threat to warrant being locked up but we both know I am. Guess I'm not allowed to have it both ways, huh?

Still, I wish I could just run around. Even a little bit. Or see a friendly face, even. I got this flimsy notepad about a week ago after spending like an hour trying to tell a nearby Wisp what I wanted. He came back with a picture of Eggman, then a piece of scrap metal, then a nail clipper, then a bottle of beer before finally interpreting my writing motions and getting me some paper and a pencil. Pencil's getting stubby but I can sharpen it with my quills. Paper, on the other hand… well, I've got enough for a few entries, but it's a tiny little notebook with most of the pages already torn out, the kinda thing people use for reminders and such.

Should I have kept the beer? I think maybe I should've kept the beer.

Anyway, it's been at least a week since I've seen that Wisp. I saw him in the corridor when I was first being brought here, pretty much as I was waking up, come to think of it. And then I saw him a few days later when he came by my cell. There's a lot of Wisps around here but this lil guy seems curious. Or at least, he did before. Wonder if he'll come back. Reminds me of someone, he does!

But regardless of whether Eggman trapping me makes sense, I'm _bored_. You know, being in a situation you don't want to be in is easier if there's a reason for it. But there's nothing I can get out of this, nothing I can do to help or make a difference. Like… if you're gonna toy with me anyway, at least give me some _stakes_!

Okay, okay, maybe let's not put that kind of energy out into the universe.

There's worse things than boredom, I know. But still, just because there's worse things doesn't mean this is a picnic!

I think someone

1-1-1

"Ahhh, Sonic the hedgehog." Eggman.

"Man, we gotta stop meeting like this."

"I have to admit, I was going to wait a few days longer before coming to visit you. It's only been a little over a week, after all. I thought I might let you get a little lonely first. Then maybe you'd be happy to see even yours truly!"

"If I'm lonely, I prefer my _own_ company to yours, Egghead."

"Well, I suppose that's fine, since I couldn't wait that long anyway. I just _had_ to see you from this perspective, with these bars in between us."

"You can have bars between us from my perspective too, doc. Wanna switch?"

"You think you're so cool and funny, but really, you're just deflecting. You're a little unsettled in there, aren't you, Sonic? If we're being honest."

"Yep, sure am! Oh – that's not what I was supposed to say, is it? Nah, you'd rather me try to tell you how totally chill I am so that you can rub all this in my face and feel like you're… I dunno, breaking down my front, or something. Well, it's already down, Eggman. I hate it in here and I have _no_ problem with you knowing that."

"Oh, and it's only the beginning. If you think you hate it now…" Eggman came right up to the bars. "You have obliterated my hopes and dreams and happiness time and time again. Now you will know how it feels."

"Nothin' personal, doc. It's just that _your_ ambitions happen to obliterate thousands of other people's chances at their hopes and dreams. If karma's your ask, then in an equal world, all the folks whose lives you've destroyed should be able to destroy yours thousands of times over. But hey, by all means, tell yourself whatever you like about imprisoning me if it helps you sleep at night."

"Hmph. You overestimate my character if you think I have that much of a conscience. _Especially_ where you're involved." Eggman turned to leave. "And anyway, I suspect I'll get a better sleep anywhere than you'll get in _there._ "

1-1-1

1:57 PM

Yup, I was right, someone was coming, all right. He's gone now, but I keep looking up to double-check. I don't want him to see my notebook.

I hate that my hands are shaking! What's gotten into me? It's not Eggman… it's Eggman combined with _this._ With the captivity. I hate this feeling. No matter how many times I wind up in situations like this, it never seems to get any easier.

At least in the past there was writing on the walls, or people nearby, or _something._ But here, there's nothing. I've been 'keeping busy' if you can call it that by seeing how many times I can bounce back and forth between the far walls before I have to land. I got strong legs, but that isn't what they should be doing right now – they should be running!

I keep telling myself someone'll come, or that I'll figure something out. But… what if that doesn't happen? And what if I _don't_ figure something out?

Eggman said himself I've only been here a little over a week. A week is not much time at all. But it feels like forever. How long will I be stuck here?

I'm just sitting here waiting for something to happen and starting to feel like it never will.

And there's nobody around I gotta be strong for.

Well… me. I gotta be strong for me.

But what does that matter if there is literally nothing I can do for anyone, anywhere, including myself? There's so much going on and there's nothing I can do to help from in here!

You know, I don't really have a home. I go where the wind takes me. But still, whether or not it makes any sense, I'm finding myself sitting here thinking, I wanna go home.


	3. Day 5

Day 5, 2:20 AM

Glowy red things freak me right the heck out.

Thought it was the Chaos Emerald at first, but it just _feels_ different. And, once again, Eggman apparently doesn't use Chaos Emeralds anymore. It makes sense. Not like they ever get him anywhere and in the end it usually turns the situation against him anyway.

…Come to think of it, that's not the Chaos Emeralds. That's just Eggman. Common denominator across the board. If I'm his worst enemy, the doc himself is his second-worst enemy!

The glowy red thing is giving me enough light to write by, but I'd still prefer it _not be there,_ since if it wasn't there, I'd be able to go back to sleep. I can't see the source unless I mash my face against the bars and look left, and even then I can barely see it. Some kinda gem, I think. Its glow radiates all the way over here.

Well, I figure reading tends to make people tired at night, so maybe writing will, too. So far it's not, though. It's not like I gotta get up for anything in the morning, it's not like I need to hurry up and sleep. Yet I'm still anxious to sleep anyway. Honestly, I wanna escape this feeling. There's something really _off_ about this.

And I think it got worse right now as I'm writing this. My left leg started cramping. Do you know how often my legs cramp? _Never._ Okay, maybe it's because I haven't been running. Probably haven't been drinking enough water, either. They don't _give_ me enough water. Or food for that matter.

Ow. Sheesh, is it really this bad, or am I just worked up? I feel like it's radiating up into my hip, my chest… _ow._ What is this? I've never felt this before, and it's a feeling I'd be perfectly fine missing out on!

Okay… either something's outta whack, or I'm just claustrophobic and it's making everything feel worse than it is. Gonna try not to focus on it and keep writing. That's what this is _for_ , right? That's why I started this. I can't run. I can't fight. I can't talk to anyone. But I can write. This is the only outlet I have right now.

Coming up short for words now just because I'm trying so hard to think of something to write. It's hard to focus. It hurts. I'm scared. Chances are no one'll ever see this – even though there's a part of me hoping they do – but right now, as I'm writing this, nobody can see it, so yeah, I'll say it. I'm scared. I am freaked out right now.

Oh god. Oh god oh god oh god it's curling it's not supposed to do that. I'm not bending my knee but my knee is bending like the muscle is curling in on itself. Keep writing. Keep writing. What IS THIS?

1-1-1

"Hey! Can anyone hear me!? Something weird is going on and I can't—! I need a little help, here!"

The light's shifting.

"Oh no… not you. You're sentient? Can you… can you hear me? Dear Chaos, you _can!_ OW – is it because I haven't run? I've never had a cramp this bad in my life!"

The light is closer and there's something behind it. No, something attached _to_ it. It's part of a body. Right in the center of its chest – it's been watching—

"Down for the count so soon?"

Wait. "It's _you._ "

"What are you panicking about, weak hedgehog?"

"If you think I'm weak because you got me in a bad spot, you don't know the first thing about me. 'Sides, what kind of loser needs half a dozen other fighters to take down some 'weak hedgehog?' Fight me one-on-one and _then_ we'll see who's weak!"

"There were no others. There was only me."

"There was Chaos, Metal—"

"There was only me."

"You're not making any sense!"

"You'll understand, sooner or later. But before you understand me, you'll understand yourself. You'll understand your weaknesses. You'll understand just how helpless you are. And… you'll understand suffering."

"Sheesh, what's your damage?"

"If I were you, Sonic, I would put a little more consideration into what I've just told you. You think the words some kind of vague, empty threat… well, how about I make it more real for you by telling you that the pain you're feeling right now can get a whole lot worse."

1-1-1

It's him! How did I not know? He's gone now, but... I think I'm just so used to associating that kind of glow with Chaos energy, I completely forgot about that red gem he had on his chest. He's been watching me all night. God, that's creepy! I don't even know who he is! What's he got against me, anyway? He won our fight, not me!

He couldn't possibly mean what he said about the pain, right? It's a muscle cramp for Chaos' sake. You can't just cause that to happen to someone!

…Can you?

No. Can't let him get in my head. He must have just seen that I was in pain and tried to make it sound like it was on purpose. He's manipulating me.

Oh no oh no oh nooo

I can see the cramp I can SEE it rolling up my calf like the muscle snapped at the ankle and is pulling up my leg like a bungee cord keep writing, this can't be real, keep writing keep writing keep writing

1-1-1

Okay. Okay.

I just closed my eyes for a few minutes and kind of stretched my leg against the cramp. It went away. I'm sore though. Was that actually happening, or was it Infinite causing it somehow, or was it just me going stir-crazy or WHAT?

I hope that never happens again. Not even cause it hurt but because for a minute there it made me worry about my leg, my running!

Okay. Easy, Sonic. Come back down.

The creep with the red glow – he's gone. I'm almost as glad for that as I am that the pain went away.

Did I really see that happening in my leg, or was that just the light playing tricks on me? I'm thinking about it now and that's just… _too_ weird… isn't it?

Well, I'm for sure gonna be doing more stretches and exercises in here. Between the confinement, not well-hydrated, feeling more than a little nervous… yeah, that all sounds like a good combination for what just happened. Okay, yeah. I'm gonna write this off as a bad thing happening at a bad time.

Either way, it's over now. And even for how seriously nuts that was, I actually feel more tired now than I did before. Took something outta me, I guess.

I'm gonna see if I can get some sleep now and we'll take it from there.

Sonic _out_!

1-1-1

 **A/N:** Please see the first chapter for a slight addition to the very beginning!

So, this story's been bouncing around in my head since I started it a few days ago. It's all I've been thinking about on my drives to and from work, and I want to tell you what I've figured out: It is going to be a story, not just a collection of journal entries – although most of that story will be told _through_ said entries. The rest will be in concise first-person.

It's also going to be a six-month project, in keeping with the progression of the way it actually happened. There will be periods of time that Sonic has more to say than others, and times of quiet or distraction where he might not have much to say at all – but in the overall scheme of things, updates will be steady. They just won't be paced perfectly evenly. There might be updates two days in a row, or maybe we'll go two weeks without incident.

Some entries/updates will be short (as these ones have been so far), others will be longer.

This is a fast-paced project with a lot of emphasis on presence, and paralleled by real-time. Don't miss out. ;)

Also, I've upped the rating to T, not because I truly think it needed to go up, but for my own comfort as I've already pulled up short several times and thought 'Can I put this/say this in a K10 story?' and I, like Sonic, don't like restriction, and I don't want to have to ask myself that every time things get close to that threshold!


End file.
